The time of the castle's foundation is unclear. This was also due to the forgeries of medieval document forgers, who pushed the origins of the Hanigovo "New Castle" back to 1209. The name of the castle is mentioned in 1411 as castrum Wywar (New Castle), which indicates that there must have been an older castle before this one. It was originally built of wood and built by the nobleman Mikčo. In 1342 he asked King Louis I for permission to rebuild the castle in stone. He justified his request by the fact that the New Castle was located in the Hungarian border area with Poland and Russia. The rebuilding would consolidate the border zone of the kingdom. The king respected the request and the castle was rebuilt. Probably by this act the castle acquired the name "Nový". Other sources, however, state that the name "New Castle" originated in comparison with the older Šariš Castle, as a county castle. The stone castle had a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 55 x 20 metres. The whole area was surrounded by fortifications. The palace had a rectangular plan with dimensions of 14.7 x 6 metres and was two-storeyed. The fortification of the courtyard was adapted to the access road, which entered the courtyard from the south side through a 2.5 metre wide gate secured by a watchtower. The fortification was carved with beds for cannons, and the castle was also protected by gun ports on the more accessible side. The castle complex was protected by a front gate with an entrance gate. In the courtyard there were outbuildings and other buildings, probably wooden, as no traces of them were left after the fire.
These objects are still identifiable in the interior of the castle. The interior of the palace is covered with rubble up to the sills of the ground-floor windows. The fortification has been preserved to a height of 2 to 3 metres in some places and the cannon beds are also visible. The castle is mentioned in the literature as a ruin, but it has been preserved in its medieval form.
Source and photo: OOCR Región Šariš
